Born Munagala S. Venkataramaiah, Swami Sri Ramananda Saraswathi was a senior disciple of Sri Ramana Maharshi for many years. It appears that in his life before moving to the ashram, Venkataramaiah had been a government official, holding a prestigious position. By the early 1930s he had moved to the Maharshi's ashram near the holy site of Arunachala. In the ashram, he often fulfilled the function of principal translator for the many guests who came to ask guidance from Sri Ramana Maharshi. In addition, Swami Sri Ramananda Saraswathi translated some important classics of Advaita Vedanta, the Tripura Rahasya, the Advaita Bodha Deepika, and the Kaivalya Navaneeta into English. He also was the recorder of dialogues between the Maharshi and various seekers over a number of years, which were compiled into the book Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi.